Righty Jose Berrios is slated to start Saturday for the Toronto Blue Jays as they look to bounce back from a brutal 7-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox in their series opener Friday night.
Catch the action live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ with coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT.
The Blue Jays (40-35) have cooled off as of late after a blistering couple of weeks and are only 5-5 in their last 10.
They’re on a two-game losing streak after giving up seven runs to the White Sox in the series opener and nine runs to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Friday’s loss came courtesy of a brutal performance from the mound, as recent signee Spencer Turnbull got his first start of the season and gave up four runs in two innings, and the bullpen didn’t fare any better, as Mason Fluharty allowed three in one inning of work.
Turnbull, 32, was signed by the Blue Jays as a free agent in early May and was making his third appearance with the side. He has a 1-1 record but saw his ERA jump from 2.08 to 7.11 after Friday’s start.
The White Sox pounced on the righty early, as Andrew Benintendi took him deep for a solo shot in the first. They then rallied on Turnbull in the second, racking up four hits and a walk to tag the starter for two more runs.
While the pitching didn’t have a great day, the bats didn’t provide much help either. Despite tallying seven hits, the Blue Jays left seven players on base and were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Addison Barger, Vladimir Guerrero and Andres Gimenez were all left hitless after Chicago put up a solid bullpen game of their own. However, Bo Bichette had a strong day, racking up three hits and four total bases from the leadoff spot. He drove in the team’s only run on a single in the bottom of the eighth to bring in catcher Tyler Heineman.
While the Blue Jays as a whole are looking for a bounce-back performance, as is starter Berrios, who gave up a season-high six runs in 4.2 innings of work — his shortest outing of the year — in an 11-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies last Sunday.
Other than last week’s implosion, Berrios has pitched well in recent starts, giving up only one run in the three appearances before Sunday’s loss. Coming into Saturday, the Puerto Rican righty has a 3.81 ERA with a 2-3 record this season.
Taking the mound opposite Berrios will be Aaron Civale, who is making his second appearance with the White Sox since being traded to the South Side of Chicago from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in June.
The 30-year-old has a 1-3 record with a 4.67 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in six starts between the Brewers and White Sox this season.
The White Sox (24-52) are 2-8 in their last 10, but coming into Friday’s game, had lost eight in a row with series sweeps to the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals. They’re currently last place in the AL Central.
